Three Teams Recognized for Highest GPA in the Sun Belt

TROY, Alabama – Troy men's basketball, women's cross country and women's track were recognized Friday for winning the Sun Belt Team Academic Award for having the highest team GPA for their respective sports in the conference.

The GPAs are based off of the 2015-16 seasons. The three teams will be recognized at this year's championship banquets or prior to play beginning for each sport's particular championship.

"We are extremely proud of our men's basketball, women's cross country and women's track and field programs for earning this recognition from the league office," Troy Director of Athletics Jeremy McClain said. "Academics is the cornerstone of collegiate athletics and for these three programs to be at the top of the pack among their peers is an impressive accomplishment that should be celebrated by all Trojans."

Women's cross country led the way for the Trojans after posting a 3.77 GPA. Women's track had a cumulative GPA of 3.34 and the men's basketball team had a 2.928 GPA on the year while winning the award for the second year in a row. Troy tied for second-most teams to win the award.

"We're very proud of the accomplishments our student-athletes have achieved in the classroom the past two years," men's basketball coach Phil Cunningham said. "That type of academic recognition speaks to the collective character of the guys in our locker room as well as the type of families that raised each of them.

We've always said one of the keys to individual academic success is the presence of one or more parents back home who recognize(s) the importance of education and pushes their son to do well. Our team is also fortunate to be led by Becky Whetstone and her tremendous staff in the academic support office."

"We could not be more proud of our 2015 women's cross country team," cross country coach Elliott Blount said. "Dedicating 20 hours a week to our sport all the while maintaining outstanding academic marks in a challenging curriculum is very impressive.

These ladies epitomize the term student-athlete and deserve every bit of praise and recognition that are birthed from their hard work and dedication."

"They put in a lot of hard work," director of track and field Marc Davis said. "We would like to give a lot of credit to Brian Alewine (academic enhancement coordinator) and the girls putting in their study hall hours. We are extremely proud of them and hope they can keep it up."

For more information on Troy Athletics, visit TroyTrojans.com. Fans can also find the Trojans on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat by searching for Troy Athletics.

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Three Teams Recognized for Highest GPA in the Sun Belt

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